Talk about your professional background and your current situation, and clearly express the approach you want for future conversations. Provide context to help your mentor understand it. Share your professional goals and, as appropriate, your living situation. The first thing to do after meeting with your mentor is to send them a thank you email.
Be specific in this message and don't just thank them. Anyone can write a thank you message. Your mentor is likely to receive tons of them from time to time. Make sure that yours reflects genuine gratitude.
If you treat it as a homework rather than a sincere token of appreciation, it will be reflected in your message. Be sure to let your feelings shine through. For ongoing mentoring relationships, create a reminder to see if you can offer your mentor something in return on a regular basis. Great mentors significantly influence the professional lives of their mentees by pointing them in the right direction.
Read on for more ideas on how to make your mentor feel engaged and appreciated, and find more tips for creating the perfect initial message for your mentor here. Trainees can attest that they have been able to ascend faster and that they have acquired life skills with the support of their mentors. Tell your mentor exactly what you value from their advice and how you plan to implement their feedback. Not following up with a mentor is a sure way to make it look like you don't value the time they gave you.
So, as a trainee, start setting expectations by asking a clear question that shows your mentor that you're looking for more than one meeting. When you don't follow up with a mentor, it can make it seem like you don't value the time they spent with you. This, he explains, could be a simple one-page mentoring agreement that establishes the frequency of meetings, the length and duration of the relationship. With a structured approach to establishing a good relationship, setting expectations, and discussing the mentoring topics most relevant to you, you're ready for your first meeting with mentors.
Whether you're the mentor or the mentee, you decide how to achieve these goals at the meeting. Depending on time constraints, you may not address specific mentoring topics at your first meeting. Mentors are often busy people and their time is valuable, and they want to know that they are using it wisely. The role of a mentor is not to do the work for you, but to provide you with the advice and feedback you need to make important business decisions and make improvements.
When a mentor invests time and effort into your success, gratitude is a small but meaningful way to appreciate it.
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